**A/N** I tried to stay away and couldn't! My inbox was full when I signed
on, and my conscience wouldn't let me be lazy anymore. I still don't know
where this is going, though. Well, here it is:
The gargoyle sprung aside before Severus could even mutter the password, and he heard Dumbledore's voice calling him inside. Sighing, Severus trudged into the office and accepted some black tea from the headmaster. Dumbledore looked very serious and sad, as he always did when Severus was called.
"So, you have been summoned," he sighed after a few minutes. "What, Severus, are you going to do?" The Potions Master shook his head. "Albus, I don't know what to do. He knows I'm not loyal to him, and he's going to have questions about where Lucius is. But what if I can still get information from him? I'll never know unless I at least try."
"Some things, my friend, are more important than you getting more information from Voldemort. I know this will be hard for you, but I am ordering you to remain here until things are safe again." Severus looked up, surprised. "Headmaster, surely you--"
"I'm very serious, Severus," Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You are not going to Voldemort, and that is my final word. If you won't do it for yourself, stay here for me--and for Hermione." Suddenly there was a knock on his office door.
"Well, well," Dumbledore laughed. "Miss Granger, won't you come in?" Hermione entered and sat in the chair next to Severus. "It seems, Miss Granger, that Severus has been summoned once again by Lord Voldemort. What do you believe he should do?" Hermione sighed and thought for a moment.
"After what happened last time, I seriously doubt Severus should see him. Also, if you consider the warning Goyle gave last Halloween, I have a feeling he'd only be going to his death. It is obvious that Voldemort intends to kill him. Besides, I'll admit to being selfish once in a while." With a small smile, she turned to Severus and squeezed his hand. "Please, don't go to him, Severus. I don't want to lose you."
"Very well," Severus grumbled. Dumbledore smiled broadly. "Miss Granger, thank you for agreeing with me. I believe you are the only one who could have kept him from disobeying my orders."
~~
A few days later, the Dark Mark was burning more furiously than ever before. Snape was barely able to concentrate enough to speak coherently. Within a week he was completely incapacitated and had to be taken to the infirmary. The white-hot wrath of Voldemort was tearing through him, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
Luckily, classes would not begin again for another week. Hermione sat with Severus whenever she could, just holding his burning hand and hoping for him to be all right. Even Harry, Ron, and Draco came to visit their Professor. All was not right in the world when the unflappable Potions Master wasn't there to make scathing comments or glide around keeping students on their toes.
A few more days passed, and Severus only seemed to get worse. The only sounds in the infirmary were those of his ragged breathing and Madam Pomfrey's occasional mutterings as she checked on him. Hermione soon took to speaking with him about whatever was on her mind, although she wasn't even sure that he could hear her. The Dark Mark wasn't black anymore, but rather a golden-white color. Snape's robes had to be pulled away from it, and if Hermione held her hand above his forearm she could feel the heat radiating as though she had her hand just above a flame. His whole body was overheated and feverish.
Finally, Hermione literally decided to take matters into her own hands. She looked at the Dark Mark, and then closed her eyes to find her inner pool of magic. Calling forth the silvery tendrils, she gritted her teeth and clamped her hands onto Snape's scalding forearm. Her eyes rolled back in her head, but somehow she still managed to concentrate on sending her magic into him, pretending it was ice that gushed from her palms. Everyone in the castle came running--they had all heard her screams.
~~
Finally Hermione stopped screaming, her hands still covering the Dark Mark. Panting, she looked at Severus, felt his forehead, grinned up at the stunned Professors, and passed out. Luckily Remus Lupin had the presence of mind to catch her before she hit the floor.
~~
When Hermione awoke, she wasn't sure where she was for a moment. The clean white sheets and sterile environment clued her in fairly quickly. Sitting up abruptly, Hermione turned her head to see Snape sleeping in the bed next to hers. She looked at her hands to see new, pink, extremely sensitive flesh there. Her hands had probably been damaged when she clamped her hands on that Dark Mark. Madam Pomfrey was shocked to see her awake.
"Good Lord, child, you've only slept for a few hours! I should get you a potion so that you can get some more rest.." Hermione shook her head violently. "No, Madam Pomfrey, I'm fine. I'll just make sure Professor Snape wakes up feeling all right and then I'll head to my own rooms." Pomfrey was about to protest when Dumbledore stepped in.
"Madam Pomfrey, you've taken excellent care of Miss Granger. I can assure you she's feeling fine. Can she take visitors, perhaps?" Pomfrey looked to Hermione, who nodded. First her friends came running in, followed by the entire Hogwarts staff.
"Hermione! Are you all right?" Harry gasped, hugging her tightly. Hermione just laughed. "I'm fine! I'm fine! Ron, Draco, I won't be fine if you two suffocate me!!!" She was smiling as she said this, and hugging them in return.
"Hermione, I daresay I'm quite impressed," Professor McGonagall remarked. "I've never seen anything like what you've just accomplished. Do you know how you did it?" Hermione nodded. "Professor Dumbledore, I perfected my skills over the summer. I haven't actually needed a wand in ages, but I used it because I didn't want to bring attention to myself. Professor Snape can do it, too." Everyone looked at each other, confused.
"Sit down everyone," the Headmaster smiled. "I think Hermione is ready to tell us about the most revolutionary magical discovery in centuries." After collecting her thoughts for a moment, Hermione began to explain to them about her inner pool of energy and how she could call directly from it. Everyone looked at her, amazed. "And you taught Severus to do this during the summer?" McGonagall asked. "I'm surprised you could teach him at all, but I'm more interested in the fact that other people can also utilize your particular powers."
"The way you tap into the power source is by really caring about something." Hermione hoped she hadn't given them away, but was relieved with everyone assumed he cared about his activities for Dumbledore.
"If you concentrate hard enough on it, you'll end up looking inside yourself and finding the magic. Mine feels like it's somewhere in my chest, although I'm positive you can't physically locate it. I also have noticed that your magic might be a different color than someone else's. Mine is a silvery color, but Professor Snape's is blue-black." McGonagall was about to ask another question when the occupant of the other bed stirred and sat up a bit. He immediately began to sneer at them all.
"What, may I ask, is going on here?" he asked, his voice acidic as always. Strangely enough, everyone felt oddly relieved. At least some things would never change.
The gargoyle sprung aside before Severus could even mutter the password, and he heard Dumbledore's voice calling him inside. Sighing, Severus trudged into the office and accepted some black tea from the headmaster. Dumbledore looked very serious and sad, as he always did when Severus was called.
"So, you have been summoned," he sighed after a few minutes. "What, Severus, are you going to do?" The Potions Master shook his head. "Albus, I don't know what to do. He knows I'm not loyal to him, and he's going to have questions about where Lucius is. But what if I can still get information from him? I'll never know unless I at least try."
"Some things, my friend, are more important than you getting more information from Voldemort. I know this will be hard for you, but I am ordering you to remain here until things are safe again." Severus looked up, surprised. "Headmaster, surely you--"
"I'm very serious, Severus," Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You are not going to Voldemort, and that is my final word. If you won't do it for yourself, stay here for me--and for Hermione." Suddenly there was a knock on his office door.
"Well, well," Dumbledore laughed. "Miss Granger, won't you come in?" Hermione entered and sat in the chair next to Severus. "It seems, Miss Granger, that Severus has been summoned once again by Lord Voldemort. What do you believe he should do?" Hermione sighed and thought for a moment.
"After what happened last time, I seriously doubt Severus should see him. Also, if you consider the warning Goyle gave last Halloween, I have a feeling he'd only be going to his death. It is obvious that Voldemort intends to kill him. Besides, I'll admit to being selfish once in a while." With a small smile, she turned to Severus and squeezed his hand. "Please, don't go to him, Severus. I don't want to lose you."
"Very well," Severus grumbled. Dumbledore smiled broadly. "Miss Granger, thank you for agreeing with me. I believe you are the only one who could have kept him from disobeying my orders."
~~
A few days later, the Dark Mark was burning more furiously than ever before. Snape was barely able to concentrate enough to speak coherently. Within a week he was completely incapacitated and had to be taken to the infirmary. The white-hot wrath of Voldemort was tearing through him, and there was nothing anybody could do about it.
Luckily, classes would not begin again for another week. Hermione sat with Severus whenever she could, just holding his burning hand and hoping for him to be all right. Even Harry, Ron, and Draco came to visit their Professor. All was not right in the world when the unflappable Potions Master wasn't there to make scathing comments or glide around keeping students on their toes.
A few more days passed, and Severus only seemed to get worse. The only sounds in the infirmary were those of his ragged breathing and Madam Pomfrey's occasional mutterings as she checked on him. Hermione soon took to speaking with him about whatever was on her mind, although she wasn't even sure that he could hear her. The Dark Mark wasn't black anymore, but rather a golden-white color. Snape's robes had to be pulled away from it, and if Hermione held her hand above his forearm she could feel the heat radiating as though she had her hand just above a flame. His whole body was overheated and feverish.
Finally, Hermione literally decided to take matters into her own hands. She looked at the Dark Mark, and then closed her eyes to find her inner pool of magic. Calling forth the silvery tendrils, she gritted her teeth and clamped her hands onto Snape's scalding forearm. Her eyes rolled back in her head, but somehow she still managed to concentrate on sending her magic into him, pretending it was ice that gushed from her palms. Everyone in the castle came running--they had all heard her screams.
~~
Finally Hermione stopped screaming, her hands still covering the Dark Mark. Panting, she looked at Severus, felt his forehead, grinned up at the stunned Professors, and passed out. Luckily Remus Lupin had the presence of mind to catch her before she hit the floor.
~~
When Hermione awoke, she wasn't sure where she was for a moment. The clean white sheets and sterile environment clued her in fairly quickly. Sitting up abruptly, Hermione turned her head to see Snape sleeping in the bed next to hers. She looked at her hands to see new, pink, extremely sensitive flesh there. Her hands had probably been damaged when she clamped her hands on that Dark Mark. Madam Pomfrey was shocked to see her awake.
"Good Lord, child, you've only slept for a few hours! I should get you a potion so that you can get some more rest.." Hermione shook her head violently. "No, Madam Pomfrey, I'm fine. I'll just make sure Professor Snape wakes up feeling all right and then I'll head to my own rooms." Pomfrey was about to protest when Dumbledore stepped in.
"Madam Pomfrey, you've taken excellent care of Miss Granger. I can assure you she's feeling fine. Can she take visitors, perhaps?" Pomfrey looked to Hermione, who nodded. First her friends came running in, followed by the entire Hogwarts staff.
"Hermione! Are you all right?" Harry gasped, hugging her tightly. Hermione just laughed. "I'm fine! I'm fine! Ron, Draco, I won't be fine if you two suffocate me!!!" She was smiling as she said this, and hugging them in return.
"Hermione, I daresay I'm quite impressed," Professor McGonagall remarked. "I've never seen anything like what you've just accomplished. Do you know how you did it?" Hermione nodded. "Professor Dumbledore, I perfected my skills over the summer. I haven't actually needed a wand in ages, but I used it because I didn't want to bring attention to myself. Professor Snape can do it, too." Everyone looked at each other, confused.
"Sit down everyone," the Headmaster smiled. "I think Hermione is ready to tell us about the most revolutionary magical discovery in centuries." After collecting her thoughts for a moment, Hermione began to explain to them about her inner pool of energy and how she could call directly from it. Everyone looked at her, amazed. "And you taught Severus to do this during the summer?" McGonagall asked. "I'm surprised you could teach him at all, but I'm more interested in the fact that other people can also utilize your particular powers."
"The way you tap into the power source is by really caring about something." Hermione hoped she hadn't given them away, but was relieved with everyone assumed he cared about his activities for Dumbledore.
"If you concentrate hard enough on it, you'll end up looking inside yourself and finding the magic. Mine feels like it's somewhere in my chest, although I'm positive you can't physically locate it. I also have noticed that your magic might be a different color than someone else's. Mine is a silvery color, but Professor Snape's is blue-black." McGonagall was about to ask another question when the occupant of the other bed stirred and sat up a bit. He immediately began to sneer at them all.
"What, may I ask, is going on here?" he asked, his voice acidic as always. Strangely enough, everyone felt oddly relieved. At least some things would never change.